Of All the Things
by Glimare
Summary: One Shot: Tim visits Damian's grave, but it isn't the 52 Tim who should be there. There's something going on behind the scenes and this Red Robin wants to tell someone, so why not his dead little brother?


**Disclaimer:** No ownership here, move along!

Okay, this is kinda AU, or an adaption to make the 52 work, but it's one I came up with today. May expand, may not. But oh well. Enjoy!

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**Of All the Things... **

It was hard for him to be there, on so many levels. He really shouldn't be there. The others were avoiding their families and friends, staying in the shadows like they all promised until they figured out how to fix things. But as soon as he heard, he had to see it for himself. The others couldn't blame him. They'd do the same if one of their own had died.

Steph and Cass wanted to go with him, but that was risky. If too many bats, or doubles of bats, appeared in Gotham, things could spiral out of control. One at a time could come though, if he tested the waters first. Shaky, Tim made it to the grave site and gaped at the headstone.

Another Robin dead.

Damian Wayne.

He was only ten years old.

Horror filled him, more than he'd like admit. He hated the brat when he was alive. He took everything from him when his whole world was crashing down. Dick. Alfred. Steph. Robin. He tried to kill him on more than one occasion, and their first few meetings were filled with misunderstandings, harsh words, and blood loss. Nothing ever went right between them.

Tim had to remake himself, adopt a new identity, all while people believed he was crazy. In time he had realized he hadn't lost anyone of them to the demon; he was the one who pushed them away and the hobbit was just a target for his anger, something to blame. The kid was raised to be a menace, but with Dick he started becoming something else. They had come to accept they wouldn't get along the same way either got along with Dick. But they could work together. They'd learned that much.

Before the strange shift that changed the world around him, they were beginning to act like siblings.

Holding back tears, Tim, in his Red Robin uniform that survived the shift, stood vacant minded in front of his kid brother's grave. Now he knew how Dick felt when he learned of Jason's death all those years ago. All the regrets... all the things left unsaid... all the time they wasted fighting... Despite all the things they said and did to each other, they were still brothers. Robin bound them together. Batman was their father. Nightwing, Dick, was their big brother. Alfred was their grandfather and confidant. Why didn't they see the similarities when he was alive?

Looking at the brat's grave, he could see now how similar the two of them were. Both were isolated from their parents from their youths, bent on education until they found something more to live for. Bruce had inspired them both. They just wanted to be accepted by people, but put up barriers to stop them from coming too close. Dick broke through them and they both gladly accepted it. Both of them had clambered over their barriers and Bruce's to get close to him. Both worked hard to get where they were. They were so much alike, just from different directions.

"I should have brought flowers," Red Robin admitted, ignoring the wind around them. "But I never learned if you had a favorite kind. Did you even have a favorite color? I know you liked cats... and if the reports are right, you liked animals in general. I'd ask Dick, but now's not a good time to present myself."

He looked down again, looking at the ants below. Already doing their job on the fresh grave. Life moved on, even if a Robin died. "You remember that hit list of mine right? It wasn't the only list out there. I've had hundreds. You'd be surprised how much they clear my head and keep me from doing things. There were a few of them venting my frustration about you. So many pranks... so many attacks... I just wanted to hurt you the way you did me, but I didn't do any of them... Because I didn't want to lose my family. Our family.

"But you know," he started, both crying and laughing at himself, "of all the things I wanted to happen to you, this wasn't one of them. I wanted to deflate that ego of yours, humble you down to our level. Remind you you're just as human as we are. To get you to try and be nice to people, genuinely nice, without the tough guy act. To be a normal ten year old, like we were.

"But..." His voice hitched in his throat. This just couldn't be happening. "I never wanted you dead Damian. Not once. Gone from my life maybe, but not dead. I knew Bruce couldn't take it if you died. Dick or Alfred either. And me." Tears dripped past his mask, whether he liked it or not. "Too many people have died in my life. Friends, family... now you.

"You know, I was beginning to think you were like your dad or Dick. Practically invincible. You sure acted that way at least. I don't think I'll ever have the confidence you do. And how you helped Dick realize how great he is..." He shook his head. "I couldn't do that. You even made Steph a better Batgirl.

"Course you don't remember do you? No one does." He huffed out a bitter laugh as he explained to a grave what was going on. "Something happened, something huge that mixed up the multiverse, and things happened. People were rewritten, history was changed, some were replaced by cheap knockoffs, and only a handful of us realize it, unaffected. You should be happy to know Steph, Cass, and Kara are with me. Same with Wally, Irey, Jai, Donna and a few others. And a kid saying he knew you, Collin.

"We're still trying to figure out what happened, why the 'shift' as we call it occurred, and to see if we can shift everything back. Who knows what'll happen then. Maybe..." He looked over the tiny grave, a wishful smile trying to come to his face. "Maybe you'll be brought back that way. Death didn't stick to Jason or Donna. Maybe what we do will bring back the dynamic duo. Return you to Bruce."

He put a gloved hand on the boy's headstone, trying to convince himself. "Me and the others, we're outsiders, those who know something happened, but can't show our faces until we can put things back where they belong. I wish I could confront my doppelganger right now and make him talk to you and Bruce, but I can't. The repercussions..."

He shook his head. This was hard, harder than when he grieved for his friends and family in the past. He didn't want to accept this death at all. Couldn't. Damian was dead, he knew that better than anyone, but this couldn't be the end for the little demon. "I just can't believe your mother would go to such lengths to get you back... to hurt Bruce like this. There was a time we cheered for Bruce to settle on your mom and leave Selina alone. She was good once. But she hid you from your dad and... Now I don't think we ever knew the woman. He would have married her at one point too."

His hand left the stone and he took a step back. "I'll keep an eye out to find out what kind of flowers you liked and make it up to you next time. I'll be sending Cass and Steph to visit soon, even Wally's kids and that Collin friend of yours. Once I know what times Bruce and Alfred visit that is. Can't have them crossing paths. Not yet. I hope... I hope the next time we meet, really meet, we can actually be good brothers for once.

"Just know, I didn't really hate you that much. Part of me loved you too. You were so much like your dad's grumpy side and... Honestly, you were an adorable little brat." Tears threatened to escape him again, telling him to leave at last. Damian would see it as a sign of weakness and use it as evidence that he was unfit for this line of work. Maybe that was his way of saying he cared. "I'll be seeing you again soon."

Swiftly he turned and walked away from the site, knowing he'd keep his promise now. If they could shift the reality back to the way it was supposed to be, maybe... no... Damian would come back. His evil twin would be vaporized, his friends would remember who they were, and the little demon would come back to life. Everything could go back to normal, with less life altering cases and world shattering problems. Where he could actually hang out with his friends, finish school, and take his place in the business world like he was supposed to. They'd fix things, and Damian would come back.

Looking up at last, his eyes widened in dread. Jason was there, flowers in hand and gaping at him. "Crap."

The former rogue Robin (so much had happened to this guy in this new world it was hard to believe this was the same crazy who tried to kill him so much in the past) glared at him, distrusting. Well he should be. Tim's uternet uniform seemed to survive the shift and he was wearing it all the time these days. If an alternate version of the former Robin you hung out with most suddenly appeared in front of you next to the latest dead Robin's grave, you'd be suspicious too.

So Tim did something he didn't think would really work. He grinned stupidly and hyperly waltzed past him. "Great day for a con don't cha think? Unfortunately I'm a bit lost. Gotham Science Plaza? My pal Ives said to meet him at a cemetery but wasn't very specific where. So many of them around here."

Jason eyed him still, a hand going for his gun slowly. Still he answered. "Three miles south of here. Look for the statue of Argus Flynn and turn west. Can't miss it."

"Thanks!" He whistled a merry tune as he skipped away, making himself look as stupid as possible. He could feel the guy's eyes on him as he left and a good few minutes afterwards. As soon as he was out of sight though, he shot off a line and started to breathe a little easier. Too close. And Jason fell for the old Con line?

Quickly he pressed his comlink, landing on a rooftop to escape to where he stashed his motorcycle. "Double R to Outs."

"Reading you Red. How was the visit?" Wally. He really understood what they were going through best, and supported this trip emencly.

"Cut a little short. Jay came by when I wasn't looking. I'll need to do a little more recon before the others can visit safely." A slight smirk came to his face. "Hard to believe it, but I think he gained something from the shift. He was rather sane and civil with me. Donna's going to love to hear that."

"Sweet! Think we can talk to him about everything?"

"Maybe later." He tried to focus back on the matter at hand. Identifying what the hell happened to their world and why only they were preserved, or in his case replaced. "I'll check back in after I take a look into Robin's murder. Red Robin out."

END

A/N: Yeah, so basically everyone who's either been dramatically altered negatively or have vanished are part of these 'Outsiders' and they're trying to fix the shift, if they can. If the 52 Tim doesn't do something like this visit in the future, the writers should be burned to the ground.

So like the idea? Good? Bad? I'm up to share it. =]


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